On the Books: 'Maze Runner' author James Dashner to pen new prequel 

On the Books: \'Maze Runner\' author James Dashner to pen new prequel

Young adult author James Dashner will write a new prequel to his bestselling post-apocalyptic trilogy, 

, after 20th Century Fox’s film adaptation of the first novel topped the box office with a $32.5 million opening weekend. 

will be published in 2016 by Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books). Pre-production on the movie adaptation of the second book in the dystopian series, 

, has already begun, and the film is set for release in Sept. 2015.

'The Maze Runner' sequel gets September 2015 release

On the Books: James Patterson donates $212,000 to British bookstores

, another successful franchise sprung from a young adult trilogy. A press release explains that the second prequel “delves into the time before the Maze, and will tell the story of how Thomas, Teresa, and the Gladers found themselves in the Maze, and how the Maze itself was created.” [

The anti-Amazon writers’ coalition Authors United will request an antitrust inquiry into Amazon’s business negotiations, 

reported Wednesday. Bestselling author Douglas Preston—leader of the group of authors contending that Amazon’s negotiating tactics with publisher Hachette harm book sales—confirmed the news to 

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer and the author of bestseller 

, will be the subject of a new comic book from Bluewater Productions. The visual biography is the latest installment in Bluewater’s Female Force series, which has already featured women including Tina Fey and Hillary Clinton. Publisher Darren G. Davis said in a press release that telling Sandberg’s story in a visual medium makes it more accessible and relatable. The work will explore the lesser-known events and circumstances “that resulted in Sheryl Sandberg becoming a leading voice in empowering successful businesswomen,” Davis said. [

Little, Brown will publish the definitive biography of Nick Drake, the musician whose work found success after he died at age 26 of an accidental overdose in 1974. 

the first and only authorized biography of Drake—is a compilation of Drake’s original lyric pages and “contributions from peers, critics, friends and family, including his producer Joe Boyd and fellow singer-songwriter Paul Wheeler,” according to 

Cally Callomon and Drake’s sister Gabrielle co-edited the bio, which hits shelves Dec. 9, coinciding with the approximate 40-year anniversary of Drake’s death.

 died Thursday at the age of 83. Miller was known for nurturing the careers of successful writers like the late Nobel Prize author Seamus Heaney as well as for his own prize-winning writing and tenure as a professor. “He changed the picture for nearly five decades of writers and readers,” Miller’s former colleague Andrew O’Hagan told 

AmazonAuthors UnitedBiographyComic BooksDystopianFilm AdaptationsHachetteJames DashnerLittle BrownOn the BooksPublishing BizThe Maze RunnerYA

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